Florida Teen Dies From MRSA After Going to Hospital for Broken Foot, Parents Say

Florida Teen Dies From MRSA After Going to Hospital for Broken Foot, Parents Say
A stock photo of a hospital (Shutterstock*)
Jack Phillips
5/24/2019
Updated:
5/24/2019

A Florida 15-year-old died unexpectedly on May 23 from complications from MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), according to reports.

Trey Sudderth’s parents thought they had taken the teen, a school athlete, to the hospital with a broken foot, First Coast News reported.

He was dead about 10 days later, they said.

“He was perfectly healthy, perfectly healthy,” said Julius Sudderth, the boy’s father.

The teen’s health problems started when he appeared to break his foot during a basketball game about 11 days ago, leading to a hospital visit. The next day, he was injured during football practice, his father explained, adding that he was also hospitalized for that.

“I thought we were going to be here for three hours, he’d get an inhaler and we’d go home, we had plans to go fishing,” he said, adding that the boy also felt a pressure in his chest and was hospitalized a third time, according to the report.

Trey’s condition got worse and worse.

“The last thing he said to me is ‘I want to go home’, and I said ‘we can’t do that,’” Sudderth said.

Trey had developed MSRA and developed blood clots in his lungs and legs. He also suffered cardiac arrest three times and was placed on life support. Over the weekend, he had severe brain damage, his parents said.

“He was so dedicated, he wanted to prove to everyone he was one of them for this football season, he worked so hard every day,” Roxana Sudderth, his mother, said.

Medical website WebMD says MSRA is difficult to treat because it is resistant to some types of antibiotics. It’s sometimes called a “super bug.”

“Most often, it causes mild infections on the skin, like sores, boils, or abscesses. But it can also cause more serious skin infections or infect surgical wounds, the bloodstream, the lungs, or the urinary tract,” the website says.

It adds: “MRSA infections are common among people who have weak immune systems who are in hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care centers. Infections can appear around surgical wounds or invasive devices, like catheters or implanted feeding tubes.”

According to WESH, Sudderth’s parents aren’t sure how their son contracted MSRA.

They said the teen died on May 23 at 2 p.m. and appreciate the words of support.

The First Coast News report said they are hoping to inspire every parent to cherish their child, saying that life is precious.

“Give it all you’ve got, every day, that’s what he did, every day,” his mother said.

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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